The present invention relates to a material for adsorbing a pyrogen. A representative example of substances well known as pyrogen is endotoxin.
Endotoxin is one of complex phospholipid polysaccharides which generally exist as a cell wall outermembrane component such as Gram-negative bacterium, is a typical pyrogen, and is so thermally stable as it cannot be decomposed even under steam sterilization under pressure. If endotoxin enters into blood of human or mammals without passing through a digestive tract, it causes strong exothermic reaction, vasconstriction, increase of sensitivity to adrenalin or acceleration and subsequently lowering of blood coagulation, thus resulting in, sometimes, death due to shock. Accordingly, there are never contaminated with endotoxin waters for injection, physiological saline, transfusions containing nutritions such as glucose or vitamins, dialysis solutions for blood dialysis, transfusions containing proteins such as albumin, and the like.
For removing bacteria, it is general to conduct the filtration by using a porous membrane having a pore size of about 0.2 .mu.m. However, endotoxin can be insufficiently removed by conducting only the filtration, since if bacteria exist, it is usual that endotoxin exists together with bacteria, and moreover endotoxin has a high molecular weight and a very broad molecular weight distribution.
Although, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-19178, No. 63-243022 or No. 1-127039, or Minobe et al, Journal of Chromatograph, 262, 193-198 (1983) proposes an ion exchange resin and its converted one, or various polymers having a functional group, sufficient effects cannot be obtained.
An object of the present invention is to provide a material for adsorbing the pyrogen, used as a means for effectively removing the pyrogen such as endotoxin, namely, to provide an adsorbing material capable of removing the pyrogen such as endotoxin so that it does not substantially exist in substances to be directly injected into blood without passing through a digestive tract, for instance, medicines such as biological products, water for injection, and the like.
Further object of the present invention is to provide a preparation process for the above-mentioned adsorbing material of the pyrogen.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method for removing the pyrogen such as endotoxin by using the above-mentioned adsorbing material.
These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter.